The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1887-11-12
The Execution of the Four
Anarchists on Friday.
NO DISTURBANCE IN CHICAGO,
Scenes In and About the Jail, Be-
fore and after the Hanging
General Notes.
The Anarchists

to the inner precincts of the
jail, were the representatives
of the Associated Press. They
had quarters in what is known as the
lawyers cage, and were within ten feet
of the Anarchists. At o'clock one OF
them made tour of the lower corridor,
where Spies, Parsons, Fischer and
Engel were confined. In each cell were
two stalwart guards who stood watch
over the Anarchists. The former
chatted in low tones and whispered
jokes among themselves to while away
the time, but the talk and whispered
jokes were
ALL LOST ON THE PRISONERS.
Each one was in the heaviest of slum-
bers. Spies lay on one side, his head
on his arm, and slept peacefully as a
babe. At intervals the Silence
was broken by the stealthy
walk of the armed guard, who went the
rounds of the lower corridor, to see
that all was well. The only other dis:
turbing element was the mewing of the
jail cat, who kept up noise so persist
emily that at last a deputy bore down
on, captured and removed her to the
basement, where her cries could not be
heard. Some time after midnight Par
sons complained that the hum of con-
versation in the jai or's Office annoyed
him and prevented him from sleeping
The wooden door which hangs on the
Office side of the heavy bars of the inner
door, was closed, and the Texas An
archist dropped into an uneasy slum-
Der. In the Office busy crowd of re-
porters stood writing at high desk or
lounging about talking with deputies.
Occasionally a
HEAVY STEP SOUNDED
on the iron stairs on the out
side, and the strong door was
opened revealing candidate for admis-
sion to all the horrors provided for the
possession of passes. From within the
lawyers cage came the sharp, metallic
click of the Associated Press telegraph
instrument, dispatching the gathered
incidents OF the night. Along the
otherwise silent corridors sounded the
slow regular tramp of the deputies COM
posing the death watch, to and fro,
ceaselesslv in front of the cell-doors,
behind which were the four forfeited
lives. The main entrance of the Jail,
through which all who enter must pass
is guarded by a heavy double iron
door. Immediately within the door
stand TWO trusty policemen, armed
with breech-loading rifles, and carrying
thirty eight rounds each, in conven-
lent cartridge box.
THE JAIL PROPER
is reached by crossing a narrow court,
dismal and cold in darkness. In this
part of the building special prepara-
tons had been made for the reception
of unwelcome callers. Now and then a
louder voice than common floats out
from the cell room, where some ordi-
nary prisoner has walked with cry, but
from the cells of the condemned comes
only the low murmur of conversation
between the guards and their wards.
About 1 o'clock, while there was COM
parative silence, the occupants of the
Sheritf's Office were startled by crash
and bang from the northern corridor.
It was nothing only the Sheriff and a
few other officials experiment.
ing with the scaffold, and test
ing it and the ropes. A few
minutes after 2 O'Clock Spies stood at
the door of his cell smoking and talk
ing through the bars with his guards.
Between 8 and the rumble of wheels
outside penetrated the thick walls, and
a wagon drove up and
UNLoADED FOUR coFF1Ns.
At $50 all were asleep. Fielden and
Schwab, in their cells in the second
tier, having retired before midnight.
In the first flush of relief to them i'm
prIsonment for life was q very small
matter and they could sleep in safety.
Not MANY minutes from O'Clock came
daylight, cold and pitiless as the law
about to be avenged, and hustle diff
ferent from that of night invaded the
seclusion of the prison. The day of
the hanging had arrived. six
O'Clock came and the rumbling of
wagons, the blowing of whistles and
the ringing of bells told that people out
side were astir.s But the Anarchists
slept on. 1t was 645 when Engel awoke.
Within the next ten minutes his three
doomed companions
OPENED THEIR EYES.
They tumbled out of their cots hastily
and dressed themselves. No converse
ton took place between the Anarchists
and their guards. Spies and Parsons
simply babe them goodbye, and in few
minutes the deputies emerged from the
cell room. They were relieved by
others. Fischer was the first one to
emerge from his cell, accompanied by
two deputies. He stepped over
to the plain iron sink and took
a good wash. His every movement |
was closely watched. Spies next
performed his additions and seemed |
to enjoy them. He fingered long at the
sink. He carefully cleaned his teeth |
and gargled his throat. Old man Engel |
followed the young Anarchist and the |
last one to wash was Parsons. At 7.20, |
two walters from restaurant brought |
to the prisoners their breakfasts.
ACTIVE PREPARATIONS FOR THE EXECUTION |
began at o'clock, when Chief Bsilif |
CahiIl arrived at the Jail and |
assigned the deputy sheriffs to
their various positions during
the event. 1t was announced |
that Tailor FolZ, with three deputies,